Has there ever been a wildfire in Antarctica?

Mention Antarctica and what immediately comes to mind are glaciers, icebergs, floes, penguins, and seals. But can you believe the icy continent experienced wildfires once upon a time? Yes, that is what a recent study reveals.

The fiery side

Antarctica was on fire 75 million years ago, according to a recent paper published by a team of international scientists in the journal Polar Research. Charcoal fossils were unearthed by researchers during a 2015-2016 expedition to the northeastern part of James Ross Island of Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. These charcoal remains are said to be the first recorded evidence of a paleo-fire (pre-historic fire) on the island. On analysing the fragments, the researchers found that they dated back to 75 million years and that they began their lives as ancient plants. The new research adds to existing studies that suggest Antarctica was once home to rainforests. The researchers who used imaging software and scanning electron microscopy to examine the charcoal remnants revealed that the fossils likely belonged to ancient coniferous trees.

Abundant vegetation

Antarctica has not always been covered in ice and snow, but has transformed into a frozen continent over millennia. According to the team of scientists led by the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil, the coal fossils hint at past forest fires in the region, giving credence to the presence of vegetation on Antarctica during the late Cretaceous period (lasting from 100 million to 66 million years ago). The Cretaceous Period was the last time dinosaurs roamed the Earth and it was also a period when disastrous wildfires tore through every continent.

Studies have revealed that the Gondwana ancient supercontinent started breaking up into huge landmasses about 180 million years ago with the continents of the present-day southern hemisphere drifting away during the late Cretaceous period because of the movement of tectonic plates. This left places such as Antarctica more isolated than before. Antarctica was ice-free and forested until about 55 million years ago. The ice-free region had several sources to spark fires, such as a lightning strike, a falling meteor, and volcanic activity. Researchers are now looking for further indications of paleo-fire around the virtually inhospitable Antarctica

Picture Credit : Google